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South Africa were skittled for their lowest total on home soil as England claimed a seven-wicket win in the fourth one-day international in Port Elizabeth on Sunday.

The victory, which puts the tourists 2-1 up with one to play, was founded on James Anderson's maiden five-wicket haul in the format.

Anderson recorded figures of 5-23 to help dismiss South Africa for 119 in 36.5 overs.

So bad was the home side's batting effort that England openers Andrew Strauss and Jonathan Trott had time to go straight in and reach 31-0 in seven overs before lunch was taken.

After the interval, they extended their opening stand to 74 when off-spinner Johan Botha, introduced for the 17th over, had Strauss lbw for 32 with his fifth delivery.

Kevin Pietersen joined Trott and was given a life second ball by Morne Morkel at fine-leg after mis-hooking a short delivery from Ryan McLaren straight to the fielder.

But Pietersen (3) failed to make the most of that let-off and chipped a gentle catch to midwicket in the next over to give Botha (2-22) a second wicket and reduce England to 80-2.

Paul Collingwood's first failure of the series, caught behind off McLaren (1-25) for two, saw that become 83-3 but with only 37 still needed, there was little prospect of South Africa getting back in the contest.

South Africa's batting line-up, fresh from piling up 354-6 in the third match in Cape Town on Friday, had earlier imploded after Graeme Smith opted to bat first on a cloudy morning.

The tone for a miserable effort was set by Smith himself, who made two from four balls before being trapped lbw by Stuart Broad in the second over.

Anderson, playing despite a minor knee problem, swung the new ball during a testing opening burst and was eventually rewarded in the seventh over with in-form Hashim Amla's scalp.

Amla (11), with two half-centuries from two innings in the series, lobbed a simple catch to midwicket to leave the Proteas at 24-2.

AB de Villiers, the scourge of England with a belligerent hundred at Newlands, was joined by JP Duminy - the only South African batsman who did not impress in their 112-run success two days earlier.

England profited when Duminy (6) was early on a pull at Anderson and somehow looped a simple catch behind to wicketkeeper Matt Prior.

Tim Bresnan (1-15) was granted an lbw decision against dangerman De Villiers in his first over, replays indicating the delivery would just have clipped the top of leg stump.

That left South Africa on 55-4 in the 14th over and, despite Alviro Petersen leading a recovery of sorts with a defiant half-century, wickets continued to fall regularly around him.

Anderson's return at the Duckpond End saw two more go down with the score stuck on 78, Mark Boucher (13) having his off stump clipped and McLaren (0) edging a drive to backward point.

The Lancashire seamer was not done yet, and a little extra effort in his final over was enough to have Botha (1) fencing a catch behind to complete career-best figures on his 120th appearance.

Collingwood nipped in for two wickets and although Petersen's 73-ball 50 kept England waiting until the 37th over, he was last out for 51 to an athletic catch at mid-on by Luke Wright off Broad (2-30) as South Africa registered the second lowest total in one-dayers at St George's Park.